Can't Breathe
by mocha27
Summary: This my first fic. I hope you guys like it. So it's basically early season 3 and Haley's point of view. But only the context is strictly from the show. I'm changing the storyline of it. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters, song and plot do not belong to me

Haley fell onto her bed, exhausted from the events of the day. Nothing new happened, just the usual, Nathan ignoring her, Peyton treating her like dirt and her missing her friendship with Lucas. Surprisingly, Brooke had been at her side and was trying to help her get through school by threatening anyone who looked at her funny. But Brooke couldn't always be with her, and that's when everyone seemed to attack her. Everyone saw her as a horrible girl who ditched her husband so she could run away with some guy who talks in third person and become famous. No one knew her side, or that leaving Nathan hurt her just as much as it hurt him. She got off her bed and attempted to do homework but her thoughts wouldn't leave her. She decided to do something that she hadn't done in a while. Grabbing a pen and paper, she began to scribble away her thoughts into lyrics. Her musical outlet, something she thought Nathan understood.

Brooke wandered into the apartment after cheerleading practice and found Haley still diligently writing.

"Hey Haley!"

Brooke's eyebrows furrowed as she got no reply.

"Tutor girl? Helloooooo! You better not be ignoring me!" as she stomped her feet like an angry two year old.

Finally Haley turned and looked surprised to see Brooke home.

"Hey Brooke, what are you doing home already?"

Brooke looked at Haley strangely. "Cheerleading practice is over…are you ok?"

"Yeah, I guess I just lost track of time," she said. "So, um, I've been thinking and I've decided to leave Tree hill to – "

"WHAT? No, you can't just move away! That was the problem last time, please stay Tutor girl."

"I just can't do this anymore, deal with all this hate. Nathan's the towns golden boy and everyone is always going to see me as the girl who broke his heart. I just want things to go back to normal." Her eyes starting to water.

Brooke quickly hugged Haley tightly before holding her at arms length so she could look at her face. "Are you sure moving away is the best option? I'm sure I can think of a kick ass plan to get Naley back together!"

"I don't know Brooke, this is killing me. Seeing him but not being with him. And Peyton's always on my case, I still don't know what I did to her. And God, my friendship with Luke, is so far from what it used to be."

"How about I make you a deal, stick it out for another week, I'll deal with P. Sawyer and think of a plan to get naley reunited. If u STILL think u need to get out of Tree Hill, then I'll support you ok?"

Haley thought about it and sighed, "you win as always Tigger. Thank you for being such a great friend."

"I'll always have your back tutor girl."

Brooke silently prayed that everything went well this week and Haley decided to stay in Tree Hill.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or songs used in this story

The weekend went by quickly and Brooke managed to cheer Haley up. They had decided to do a girls night in and eat tons of ice cream and watch their favorite chick flicks. Haley liked it like this, being apart from the outside world. Unfortunately, Monday was quickly approaching.

"Good morning tutorgirl!" a very chipper Brooke yelled.

Haley groaned and turned away from the voice disturbing her sleep.

"No, no ,no girly, get your ass out of bed. Today is day one of my plan so you need to listen up." When Haley didn't react, she jumped on her bed, straddled her and loudly sang, "the sun will come ouuuuut, tomorrow! Betcha bottom dollar there'll be suuuuuuuuuuunn—"

"I'm up, I'm up! Just please stop singing!"

Brooke made an offended face at Haley before shrugging, "hey, at least I managed to wake you up. Now hurry up and get ready, I'll tell you the plan over breakfast."

Brooke impatiently paced the kitchen, waiting for Haley to finish her shower. 15 minutes later, she walked into the kitchen in her robe.

"So what's this plan?" she asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Brooke said, practically bouncing. "I'm going to dress you and do your hair and make up. You're gonna look so hot! And then you're going to keep "accidentally" running into Nathan. You know drop something and bend down to get it right in front of him and slowly get back up. He'll be so hot and bothered!" Brooke finished with a smile.

"What? That's your plan? I am not bending infront of him on purpose!"

"Why not? You have a great ass, flaunt it! You know I'm going to win tutorgirl, you might as well just accept it."

"Fine. But if this plan backfires, I'm totally blaming you."

"That's fine with me. Yay, I'm so excited!" Brooke giddily dragged Haley to the bedroom where she laid out a short jean skirt that went a little higher than mid thigh and a very pretty halter top that was short enough that it didn't cover her tattoo. She then proceeded to straighten Haley's hair so that it was pin straight. Haley convinced Brooke to keep her make up simple. Brooke unhappily complied but insisted she wear a bright lip gloss so Nathan would want to kiss her as soon as he saw her shiny lips. Haley looked at herself in the mirror and felt a little more confident. 'I don't actually look too bad' she thought to herself.

When they reached school, as soon as she took a step out of the car, she felt her nerves kick in and her confidence drop.

"Brooke, I can't do this!" she said to Brooke with a panicked expression on her face

"Yes you can tutor girl, now go seduce your boy!"

"Fine. Wish me luck." The girls quickly hugged and Haley walked towards the gym where she knew Nathan would be coming out of soon because of his morning practice. She hid behind a pillar, and as soon as she saw the Nathan walking out with Tim, she pretended to bump into him dropping the book she was carrying.

"Woah, oh sorry Nathan," she said while biting her lip. Why oh why had she let Brooke convince her to do this. She saw both Nathan and Time checking her out and she knew it was time to do Brooke's "bend move." She turned around and bent down, knowing if he hadn't seen her tattoo before, he was definitely seeing it now, and picked up the book before slowly and seductively getting back up. She turned around and saw Nathan's eyes turn a darker blue that she only had the pleasure of seeing when he was turned on. They both stared each other down until Dim decided to open his mouth.

"Damn girl, you look'n fine yo."

Nathan immediately glared at Tim before telling him to go away. Tim quickly ran away.

"Um, hey Nathan," Haley said softly

Nathan's mouth turned into a sneer, "wow, looks like your rockstar days haven't ended. You're still dressing like a slut."

Haley's mouth fell open; Nathan had never spoken to her like that before.

Her eyes began to water and she quickly took a step back mumbling excuse me before booking it to the nearest bathroom, and texting Brooke on the way.

Brooke frantically ran to the bathroom and her heart sunk as she saw Haley sobbing while trying to stop her make up from running.

"Oh no, what happened?" Brooke said, feeling horrible for her friend.

"Nathan called me a slut," she said as she hiccupped in between a sob. "He's never been so mean to me before, even before we were dating."

"I don't believe he meant that at all. Tell me the whole story honey, and yes we have time before class," she said as she saw Haley checking her watch.

As Haley filled her in, Brooke listened intently.

"You want to know what I think, or actually, I know? Nathan doesn't think you're a slut at all. I think that he's just trying to hurt you because he's still not over the whole tour thing. And from the sounds of it he was definitely turned on and was probably just trying to get you to go so he wouldn't jump your bones."

Haley smiled a little at the last part. "I don't know what to do Brooke."

"Well we have till Friday to figure it out, so don't worry your pretty little head about it."

"Actually, we have till Saturday because I promised Karen I would sing at Tric because her act completely bailed on her and she made me feel all guilty and convinced me to do it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea tutor girl? Singing in the place where all your problems started?"

"Well I promised Karen, and since she's one of the few people in this town who are actually being nice to me, I can't let her down."

"I guess you're right. Ready to brave the rest of the day? Don't worry, I'll be at your side at all times."

"Thanks Tigger, I don't know what I would do without you."

The two girls hugged and cleaned Haley up before walking to their first class.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The characters and plot do not belong to me

Haley sighed as she walked into the cafeteria. After her horrible encounter with Nathan that morning, the day had gone quite normally. People in her class were still whispering about her and looking at her while laughing, but she was getting used to it. She sat down at the table her and Brooke had sat at ever since she came back from the tour. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she owed Brooke. That girl had been nothing but short of an angel to her.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Lucas and Brooke walking towards her.

"Hey Brooke. Hey Luke."

Brooke plopped down beside her. "Hey tutorgirl, how has your day been since this morning?"

"Why, what happened this morning?" Luke asked.

"Um, nothing happened Luke and my day has been fine, just the usual ways it's been for the last few weeks."

Brooke did not look pleased. "Then it's not fine, people need to seriously find something new to gossip about. I know! I'll make up a rumor about Rachel! How could I have not thought about this before!"

Haley's eyes widened, "Oh my God, don't do that Brooke. Promise me you won't."

"Aw fine, I promise. You never let me have fun," Brooke said while playfully sticking her tongue out at Haley.

Haley smiled and then looked at Lucas. She realized when Brooke said she would help her; she only mentioned helping her Nathan and Peyton situation. She was on her own for Lucas. She decided to take the plunge.

"So, Luke, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight," Haley timidly asked.

"Uh, actually Brooke and I have a date tonight," he said, looking a little sheepish.

Brooke looked between the two and said, "We could always reschedule Broody."

"No, please don't do that. You guys have fun. We'll just hang out another day," Haley said quickly.

"Yeah, sure," Luke replied.

The bell rang signaling that lunch time was over.

"Tutorgirl, if you wait for me after cheerleading practice, I can drive you home so you don't have to take the bus."

"Thanks Tigger, that would be great. I'll just study in the library till you're done."

* * *

><p>Haley looked at the clock on the library wall and started heading towards the gym to meet up with Brooke. She looked around and saw that most of the cheerleaders and basketball players had changed back into their regular clothes and were just chatting by the bleachers. She took a deep break and headed toward them. She looked around for Brooke but was met with an unwelcome scene that made her heart drop. Rachel, the leggy redhead, was hardcore flirting with Nathan. She kept touching his arm and giggling. He didn't seem to be flirting back but he was smirking slightly at what she was saying and that broke Haley's heart. She missed when he would smile at her; all he did now was sneer at her. She quickly looked away and searched for Brooke again. She saw her talking to Bevin and made her way towards them.<p>

"Hey Haley!" Bevin said loudly. Although she was a bit of an airhead, Haley appreciated the fact that Bevin was nice to her. Unfortunately, Bevin's voice had gotten a lot of attention from everyone around them. Haley determinedly stared away from Nathan.

"You ready to go Hales?" Brooke asked.

"Yup, whenever you are." Haley said, still trying to make her eyes from straying to Nathan.

They left the gym and Haley couldn't help but wish she had let Brooke spread that rumor about Rachel.

* * *

><p>After Brooke left on her date with Lucas, Haley felt bored out of her mind. She had gotten all her homework done in the library so she decided to watch a movie to try and distract herself from the creeping loneliness.<p>

Half an hour into the movie, the doorbell rang. She quickly paused the movie and wondered who it could be since she didn't expect Brooke back so fast. To her surprise Peyton was on the other side of the door.

"Um, hey Peyton."

"Yeah, whatever. Brooke told me to come over whenever cause she has some stuff I need to pick up."

"Well, she's actually not here but come on in. I don't really know what you need from her."

Haley realized Brooke must of planned this so only she was home and Peyton would have to speak to her.

"Can I ask you a question Peyton?"

"I can't really stop you can I," Peyton said as she found what she was looking for and put it in her bag.

"Why do you hate me so much? I am so sorry for hurting Nathan but is that really why you're so angry with me or is there something else I did?"

Haley bit her lip as she waited for a response. Peyton stared at her for a few seconds before saying, "Look, I don't have to tell you anything, I don't owe you anything, so I'm just gonna be on my way."

She shouldered past Haley and left.

Haley shook her head in annoyance and locked the door before heading back to her movie. She was tired of Peyton's anger at her, mostly because she didn't even know what she did wrong. Tonight she was going to stop thinking about Peyton and Nathan and Rachel. She was going to eat some ice cream and enjoy her movie. She'd worry about everything else tomorrow.

**I would love if people could review my story. It's my first one and I'm a little self conscious about it. It would really encourage me to continue this story. Even if there's something you don't like, let me know. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I'm so sorry for not updating earlier but classes are driving me crazy. I actually heard can't breathe on the radio today and figured I should probably attempt to update again. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! Sorry again for the late update!

Haley woke up and let out a big yawn and stretched. She turned to look at her clock and her eyes widened when she realized her alarm had not gone off. She saw that Brooke was no longer in her bed and wondered if she had stayed at Lucas'. The mental image made her immediately cringe. Ugh, not the best thought to start the morning on.

She heard a sound coming from the kitchen and quickly got up to see what it was. Brooke had her kiss the cook apron on and was making some eggs.

"Good morning Haley!" the bubbly brunette said to a still groggy Haley.

"Brooke, why did you wake me up? We're so late for school!"

"Relax obsessedwithschoolgirl. Some pipes broke in the school so schools gonna be cancelled for the rest of the week! Isn't that great!"

"Um, no. The only time I feel semi-happy is when I'm doing homework."

Brooke gave Haley a look that clearly said, what planet did you come from. "You're missing the bigger picture, with no school, it gives you more time to try and work it out with Nathan, Broody and . So who do you want to start with today? I mean according to your plan to leave, you have 3 days and then your performance at Tric which is the day you would leave. I really don't want you to go Haley. That bonehead better take you back!"

Haley smiled softly at Brooke, "I'll try my best tigger. I think I'll start with Lucas. I don't want to lose my oldest friend over this. And I'm not going to try with Peyton anymore. She won't tell me why she's so upset with me and she of all people should know that no one is perfect."

Brooke sighed, "As much as I hate to, I guess I agree with you in terms of Peyton. She'll come around on her own. So what's your plan for Lucas?"

A smile creeped onto Haley's mouth, "I have it all planned out"

Lucas walked up the stairs to the roof of his mother's café. The first thing he noticed was that someone had remade the mini-golf course. It wasn't hard for him to figure out who it could be.

"Haley? Brooke said you wanted to see me," he said.

All of a sudden he saw a water balloon flying at him leaving a huge water stain on the front of his shirt. His mouth fell open in shock until he heard relentless giggling. He saw Haley behind a prop trying to stop herself from laughing. Lucas spied a red water balloon sitting against a box to his left. He quickly lunged for it and threw it square at Haley's face. Haley's mouth dropped before a smirk crossed her face, "Oh it's on!"

Half an hour later, after many fake truces and milk balloons, the two teens were exhausted and were lying flat on the ground, side by side, trying to catch their breathes.

"Oh my god, that was so fun, we haven't done that since you married Nathan."

And just like that, the spell was broken. Lucas immediately looked like he wished he hadn't said anything.

"Look Haley, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that or brought it up."Lucas said, looking truly remorseful.

"No, Luke, we have to talk about it eventually, I guess I just wanted to relive our childhood, even if it's only for a little while." Haley took a deep calming breathe, "I'm sorry Lucas, so sorry. I shouldn't have just run away, especially without saying goodbye to you. You've always been there for me and I guess I took it for granted. I love you and I hope one day you'll forgive me and our friendship will be just like before."

Lucas just stared at her face for a minute before standing up. Haley sighed and looked down, feeling once again hopeless. She then realized he hadn't left and looked back up to see him holding his hand out to help her up. She willingly took it and as soon as she was on her feet, Lucas pulled her into a big bear hug. Haley at first was a little shocked but she quickly wrapped her arms around him.

"You're forgiven Hales. I think if anything, I took you for granted. You were always kind of just there and being there for me no matter what. You gave me advice and then when you were gone, I lost that person I could always count on." Lucas had an epiphany, "I thought you were perfect and when I realized you were only human, I guess I reacted really badly but that's so unfair. You've been with through all my imperfections and at your time of need, I deserted you. So I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry Hales. It wasn't fair for me to put all the blame on you."

Tears were rolling down Haley's face. She hugged Lucas one again. "Thank you Luke. You have nothing to apologize for but I really appreciate you saying that," she said with a soft smile. "Do you ever think we'll be like before?"

"Sure we will, we have all year to get back to the way we were."

Haley's smile slowly faded. "Actually Luke, I kind of have a plan," Haley said nervously. Seeing Lucas' questioning glance she continued, "If Nathan doesn't tell me we even have a chance of working things out, I'm leaving Tree Hill."

When Lucas did say anything, she quickly began to ramble about how the whole town hated her and she couldn't deal with all the pain and hurt. Lucas stopped her rambling by putting his hands on the tops of her shoulders.

"Breathe Hales. I understand, I don't like it, but I get it. When are you planning on leaving if he doesn't want to work things out?"

"Um, Saturday after I sing at Tric. I um, actually started writing songs again and I figured if Nathan doesn't want me, the song I sing will atleast tell my side of the story. I don't want to stick around after I sing to hear people saying how bad they feel for me. You know I don't like to be pitied. You need to promise me you won't tell Nathan about my plan."

"What? Why not? It would give him incentive to work things out."

"Look Luke, the whole tour fiasco happened because of an ultimatum, I'm not doing that again. I don't want to force him to love me. I want him to decide he wants me himself. But I am going to fight for him. Since school is cancelled for the rest of the week, I figure it gives me even more time to wear him down."

"For everyone's sake, I hope he pulls his head out of his ass and forgives you. You need to promise me no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend and keep in touch."

"I promise," Haley said happily, finally getting her best friend back.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next few chapters will be more naley. Please, Please, Please Review! I'm not going to promise a fast update because my classes take up a lot of time but I'll try my best to write chapters whenever I can.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Thank you to the people who reviewed! Much appreciated :)**

Today was the day. She was finally going to try and hash it out with Nathan. Brooke had tried to convince her that she should dress to seduce, but Haley firmly said no. She didn't need to give Nathan the opportunity to call her a whore again. She had decided to stop trying so hard to be someone she's not and instead decided to be the Haley, Nathan Scott, the hotshot basketball player had fallen in love with. She wore her favourite pair of jeans with a v-neck t-shirt. She put on minimal make up and left her hair in their natural waves. Nathan always did prefer when she stayed close to her natural self, he had told her once that almost every girl in their school was fake but she was one of the few who stayed true to who she was and he definitely didn't think she needed make up to look beautiful. The thought of how far they had come from that time in their lives saddened her. She had thought they were going to beat the odds but her chances were looking slimmer and slimmer. But she would fight, she had always been stubborn and she wasn't going to let the man she loves go without making sure she had at least tried.

* * *

><p>As she approached the front door of Nathan's childhood, she nervously bounced on the soles of her feet before finally getting the nerve to knock on the door. When no one answered the door after her knocking repeatedly, she began to walk away when she heard the door creak open. Her jaw dropped as she saw Nathan Scott in almost all his glory. There he was staring at her curiously while only wearing boxers.<p>

"Um hey, I'm sorry, was this a bad time, of course it was, and clearly you're not ready for visitors. I mean it is 11 am and you should be awake, but I'm sure people sleep in this late all the time, you know me, early bird catches the worm and everything, so um yeah, is now a good time or no?" Haley said without even having to catch her breath.

Nathan's eyes widened for a second before a soft nostalgic smile crossed his face. Unfortunately, as soon as he realized he was smiling, he made his face expressionless. "What do you want Haley?" He asked with a tired sigh.

"I—I just want to talk, that's all. No screaming or insulting, I just want to talk." As soon as she mentioned the insulting Nathan looked guilty.

He ran his hand over his face before saying, "I guess this is long overdue, come on in."

He motioned toward the couch and told her he would be back. Much to her disappointment, he returned with clothes on his body. He sat across from her and said, "You wanted to talk, so talk."

"Look, here's the thing, I need to know if you see that there's even a chance we'll get back together. And I don't mean it has to happen right away. But in the future, do you see us getting back together?"

"I honestly don't know Haley. You hurt me a lot and I'm not sure if I can ever fully forgive you. I really want to but it's a lot harder than it seems."

Haley held back tears and took a deep calming breathe. "Don't you think we should try to at least hang out? You know, see if we can find what we loved so much about each other again?"

"So what, you're asking me to hang out with you for a day?"

"Ya, I guess. You know, see if there's anything worth saving? Well, atleast from your side. I know I definitely want to save us."

"Damn Haley, I don't know."

"Please Nathan! If after today you don't want me at all, I'm done ok? You don't need to worry about seeing me or anything."

"Wait what? How does that make sense, how would I not be seeing yo—"

"Just don't worry about the specifics ok? Will you please hang out with me today?"

Seeing her sparkling eyes, he knew he couldn't say no. "Fine, I guess so. Brooke texted me about going to Tric tonight. Apparently its karaoke night and she wants the whole gang to go, which I'm assuming includes you." She nodded. "But we could hang out for the rest of the day," he said hesitantly.

"YES!" Haley practically bellowed before putting her hand over her mouth. "I mean yes, that sounds great. What would you like to do?"

"Well I still need breakfast but I guess we could watch a movie?" He still looked like he was second guessing his decision.

"That sounds perfect!" a beaming Haley said.

Nathan grabbed himself a bowl of cereal and sat next to Haley on the couch leaving enough of a gap for Haley to notice and internally sigh. Oh well, she's getting more from him then she expected.

Before Nathan pushed play on the dvd remote he quietly told Haley, "I'm sorry for calling you a slut, I didn't mean it." He quickly pushed play on the remote.

Haley smiled at him even though he was staring at the tv and whispered, "I forgive you."

**Naley's hanging out day will be continued in the next chapter. Please review review review! i'll try my best to update as soon as possible, but once again, no promises.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Thank you to those who subscribed!**

Haley smiled as she heard Nathan laugh at the movie. She really missed his laugh. She tried to stealthily look to her side. Her smile widened as she noticed the gap between them had become smaller. Now if only the emotional gap could become smaller, she thought to herself. They stayed staring at the t.v until the credits rolled. She noticed Nathan get up and stretch his back.

"So what do you want to do now?" Nathan asked, trying not to sound excited to spend time with her. Even if he didn't show it, he had really missed her. He liked this bubble of pretending that nothing had happened between them. He knew at some point, the bubble was going to pop and he would have to face reality.

"Well we could go for a walk or something." Haley replied.

An unsure expression crossed Nathan's face. "I'm not sure we should really go anywhere public. I don't want people to spread rumors about us getting back together."

Haley tried to mask the hurt on her face. "Oh, ok. Um, well we could play NBA live."

"What? Since when do you know how to play NBA live?"

"Oh, some of the guys in the band taught me one day bec – ," she stopped abruptly after seeing Nathan's face.

She sighed, "Nathan, I think our only option is talk about everything. We can't keep walking on egg shells around each other if we're trying to just have fun."

Nathan rubbed the back of his neck and nodded his head. "Yeah, ok, I guess you're right."

They both simultaneously took a deep calming breath.

"So who should go first?"

* * *

><p>"How could you just leave me like that Haley? You promised to love me and stay with me forever. You promised me always and forever. When did we stop being important to you? Huh? It all of a sudden became all about you and your music. You just picked it over me without a second thought!"<p>

"That is the most unfair thing I have ever heard! You're saying because I wanted something other than you in my life that I didn't care or love you? You gave me no choice. You said it was you or the music. You think I didn't think about that? Here I was offered a chance to do something people only dream of. It was my dream, and you helped me get it and then you just pulled the rug right out from under me. I have always supported you in your dreams Nathan, ALWAYS."

"Ya, I guess you supported me in my dreams and guess what, I supported you in yours too. I just didn't want to off with Kellar. You just left me for some skinny jackass and you expect to be forgiven for that?"

Haley's face went red in anger, "How dare you? How dare you say that I went to the tour for Chris! Would you have supported me if I went on tour with someone else and not Chris?"

"Yes," Nathan responded immediately.

Haley's face lost its anger and held sadness instead, "So you're telling me you don't trust me? I never went for him Nathan. Those kisses meant nothing to me ok. He kissed me, not the other way around. It was never him against you. I just wanted to have something that was my own, and music was that. You encouraged me so much Nathan, I wanted to make you proud. You made me realize how much potential I have that I'm hiding. That ultimatum told me that it was that simple for you, just a yes or no. You didn't want me to be able to have any music in my life at all if I had you. That's like me telling you between basketball and me, Nathan. They're two different loves and it was unfair of you to make me choose between both. If you had said it was between you and Chris, there would be no hesitation, Nathan, it would always be you."

Nathan sank down on the couch and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't do this right now ok Haley?"

"No Nathan, that's not ok. If you need to think about whether you still love me then I'll give you time but time's running out Nathan, I need to know where you stand on us. I'll see you tonight at Tric."

She hastily walked out the door and leaned against it taking a few breaths. She was glad Lucas was in charge of Tric tonight because she definitely needed some alcohol in her after this day.

**Next chapter will be at Tric. Sorry for the short chapters!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Brooke glanced at Haley as she was furiously searching through her closet to find something to wear for Tric.

"Um, Hales, don't worry, I picked out something for you already." She watched as Haley sank down onto her bed and buried her face in her hands. She cautiously took a seat beside her and asked softly, "It didn't go well with Nathan?"

Haley tiredly swept her hands through her hair and said with a sigh, "It was fine at first. We just pretended that nothing had happened until Nathan said he didn't want to go out and hang out in public incase people saw."

"That asshole! –"

"No Brooke, I get where he's coming from. People are already talking about us. I would rather they have something else to talk about then feed the fire. So anyway, we realized we couldn't just hang out without talking about it. And then talking became yelling and I told him he needs to seriously think about us."

"It's going to be ok best friend. Let's dress you up so you look super hot!"

"Brooke, we went over this, he's not even going to notice," Haley said as she rolled her eyes.

"Well stop looking good for him and do it yourself. If he's dumb enough to let you go then you be strong and beautiful for you!"

Haley hugged Brooke and whispered a quick thank you. The taller girl knew she meant for more than just the pep talk. They both began to get ready for their night. Neither knew what to expect.

* * *

><p>After pulling into a parking spot, both girls got out of the car. Brooke wearing a red strapless skin-tight dress, while Haley wore a green halter dress that ended about mid-thigh. Both girls entered Tric and immediately looked around for any sign of Lucas. They spotted him at the bar talking to a few people from school. They waited till he was alone to approach him; they didn't need random people from school ruining their night before it had even begun by making fun of Haley.<p>

"Hey Luke," they both said as they came infront of him.

"Hey ladies, I must say, you both look lovely." He then leaned down to kiss Brooke as Haley looked away. She really didn't feel like seeing them be all lovey dovey tonight.

"So Hales, are you singing karaoke tonight?" Lucas asked.

"Um, would you mind if I sang an original song?" Haley asked timidly.

Lucas looked surprised but with a look from Brooke he immediately agreed.

Since school was cancelled for the week, Karen had given Lucas permission to serve alcohol, but only to seniors because she knew they would all be drinking at some party anyway. Her only condition was that he takes away their keys and that he makes sure to stop serving a person immediately if they were drunk. Many of the seniors were already getting tipsy and were eager to show off their drunk singing. Haley watched from a bar stool and couldn't help but laugh at Dan Hart, the quarter back of the football team as he sang "Animal" by neon trees drunkenly. She then looked to her left and the smile was immediately erased from her face. At one of the tables off to the side, Nathan and Rachel were sitting side by side. Her heart felt like it was breaking. She had told him to seriously think about their relationship and there he was sitting with that whore. Then suddenly his eyes met hers and they stared at each other. It was an unspoken conversation. Her eyes showed the hurt and anger she felt at him and his held anger and guilt. Their steady gaze continued until Rachel pulled on Nathan's arm before glaring at Haley. Haley just took a deep breath and looked back at the singing.

Lucas tapped her shoulder from behind the bar and passed her a shot. "I thought you might some liquid courage before you sang. Brooke told me what the song was about. I couldn't be more proud Hales."

Haley smiled, not only because of what he said but because she had got her friendship back. She leaned over the bar and hugged him. She shot a wink at him before downing the shot.

"Are you okay to be next?" Lucas asked her.

She shot another look at Nathan and nodded her head before following Lucas backstage.

* * *

><p>"Hey everybody, are you guys having fun?" Lucas yelled into the audience.<p>

"YEAH!" The audience yelled back.

"Our next performer is going to be singing one of her own songs. Give it up for my best friend, Haley James!"

The audience was silent as they watched the girl walk on stage. Haley had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't correct Lucas. She was still a Scott…atleast for now.

"Hey everyone…"She cringed at the silence. "I was planning on singing this on Saturday but I decided I would sing it today instead. I wrote this last week and I hope it will touch some of you." She said as she looked straight at Nathan.

She held the mike closer to her and started.

_It's been 37 days,_

_Since you turned and walked away._

Her eyes stayed on Nathan as she sang to him. Their memories shared through her words and their eyes. They both remembered that day. The day he gave her an ultimatum. The day he walked away. The day she left him.

_Baby, you were foolish. You were wrong. You should have made it better._

_You broke the promise you made 'cause you were jealous and afraid. _

_Baby, I was rising, you let me down. We should've stood together. _

He should have been at her side after encouraging her so much with her music. He should have been supporting her. He let his jealousy and anger control him. He walked away first.

_(CHORUS) Now I can't breathe (if I'm not breathing with you) _

_I can't sleep (if all I'm dreaming is you) _

_Can't you see? (I've got no air without you) I can't breathe, I can't breathe _

She wanted him to how lost she is without him. How she needs him.

_(So I, So I, So I) So I cracked and called you today, and the tears froze on my face._

_'Cause you said we were over, you were so cold. We should've been forever. _

They both flashbacked to the day he crashed the race car. The day she tried to come back but he told her they were done. That it was a mistake to come back.

_(CHORUS) Now I can't breathe (if I'm not breathing with you) I can't sleep (if all I'm dreaming is you) Can't you see? (I've got no air without you) I can't breathe, I can't breathe _

_We could have everything, but all we got is heartache and pain._

_I can't catch my breath. It's getting harder to speak. _

_You should be proud of me, but you're too insecure and too vain._

_We should've been forever. I wanted you forever._

Tears began falling down Haley's face at this point.

_(CHORUS) Now I can't breathe (if I'm not breathing with you) I can't sleep (if all I'm dreaming is you) Can't you see? (I've got no air without you) I can't breathe, I can't breathe_

_Why couldn't you just be a man? Why couldn't you just understand? All I want to do is hold your hand. Why couldn't we walk hand-in-hand? Why couldn't you just be a man? Why couldn't you just understand? All I want to do is hold your hand._

That's all she wanted. Just to be with him. Why couldn't he understand her reasoning to go on tour? She just wanted to make him proud and have him by her side.

As she ended the song, her eyes still focused on Nathan's face; there was a silence that followed before there was a monstrous applause. She quickly wiped the tears off her face and said a quiet thank you into the mike before walking off stage. She took a deep breath. She had to admit, she was slightly proud of herself. She knew she needed to talk to Nathan tonight. Time was running out.

**Next chapter will be the Naley confrontation. I've already decided if I want Haley to stay or go. Do you guys think Nathan will finally forgive her? Thank you again to everyone who subscribed and for those of you who reviewed!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**So, hopefully I counted the amount of days left properly. If not, Nathan has one day to make his choice.  
><strong>**Also, I think I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the Song "Can't Breathe" by Fefe Dobson is not mine.  
>Also, sorry for posting this so late. University has been crazy, so that's my only excuse. Btw does anyone else<br>find it weird that in last week's oth episode, Tara randomly had a tazer?**

As Haley walked through the crowd, she ignored all the people who were obviously talking about her and her performance  
>and walked towards Nathan's direction. She saw Brooke and Lucas at the bar, both called her over and gave her giant hugs.<p>

"You were amazing Haley. I'm so proud of you." Lucas said while hugging her again.

Haley smiled at both of them before looking around and seeing Nathan still sitting in the same spot with Rachel still beside him.

"Are you going to go talk to him?" Brooke asked looking concerned.

Haley nodded, "I guess I need to. Time's running out."

They both wished her luck as she went to hash things out with the only boy she had ever loved.

As she approached their table, Rachel glared at her before saying, "Oh hi Haley, I don't know how you made that tour, I mean your  
>singing was okay but nothing amazing. I guess hooking up with Chris Keller had its perks. I knew I should have slept with him when<br>tried to get with me."

Haley looked at her in disbelief. She looked straight at Rachel and said, "Listen you bitch. You don't know anything about my life or me.  
>Now go away before I make you need more plastic surgery."<p>

Rachel glared at her but did what she said. Not before running her finger down Nathan's arm and giving Haley a 'don't you wish you  
>could do this' look.<p>

Haley just shook her and head and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. When she opened them, she saw Nathan staring right  
>at her, still not saying anything. She decided to make the first move.<p>

"I meant everything I said in that song Nathan. I can't take all the blame for this anymore. Yes I made mistakes, but you made  
>them too", Haley's lips quivered as she said, "and it's not fair that you use Rachel to try and make me feel inferior."<p>

Nathan looked away from her watering eyes and asked, "So what are you trying to say?"

Haley replied strongly, "I'm saying you need to make a choice and stop stringing me along. I've been a mess trying to make it up to you, but  
>I'm done. I can't make myself suffer for you anymore. You either want me or you don't. I need an answer by tomorrow night. So I suggest<br>you think long and hard tonight. And if I get no answer at all….I guess I know what you've decided." She walked away leaving Nathan to  
>stare at her retreating figure. He saw her pause before turning and walking hurriedly toward him. She grabbed his face and kissed his lips<br>long and hard. He immediately kissed her back. They both moaned lightly at the contact. As she let go of his face, she saw his eyes were still  
>closed. She put her forehead against his and whispered, "I needed one last kiss in case you don't want me. You were and probably always<br>will be the love of my life." She pecked his lips one more time before leaving Nathan with a racing heart.

When Haley arrived home, she went straight to bed. She desperately tried not to think about Nathan or their relationship. The ball was in his  
>court now. Haley involuntarily smiled at the expression before sighing. Even a common expression made her think of basketball and him. She<br>closed her eyes, ignoring the tears that managed to pass through her eyelids and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Haley was surprised she slept in. She assumed all her emotions had taken a toll on her and knocked her out. She looked around and noticed<br>Brooke wasn't home. She figured she must have stayed at Lucas'. Surely enough, when she checked her phone, she saw a text message  
>from Brooke saying she hoped Haley didn't mind but she was sleeping at Lucas'. Haley sent her a quick reply back. As she found hersel<br>f some breakfast, her mind started thinking about Nathan. Today was his last chance. Would he suck up his pride or would they be over.

Haley got another text from Brooke saying she would be hanging out with Lucas all day and stay over again. Haley was honestly relieved  
>by this. She knew if Brooke had been home, they would be talking about Nathan and she just wanted to get through the day.<p>

It was almost 8 30 at night when there was a knock at her door. Haley's heart pounded. Maybe it was Brooke she thought. She tried not to  
>get her hopes up. She closed her eyes for a second before opening the door. There before her, was none other than Nathan Scott. They both<br>just stared at each until Nathan grabbed her face and kissed her hard. They managed to make it to the bedroom before Nathan lightly  
>pushed Haley on the bed so he could go over her. They continued to make out furiously, both lost in the passion. Slowly clothes came of<br>f and they succumbed into their desires.

Nathan collapsed next to Haley on the bed, both trying to catch their breath. Haley couldn't stop the smile on her face. She turned to  
>look at Nathan and immediately her smile dropped. He wasn't looking at her but had an expression of regret on his face. She prayed he<br>wouldn't say the words she didn't want him to say. She watched as he got up and put his clothes back on. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

"This…This was a mistake Haley. I should have never come over," he said as he avoided her eyes.

Haley just nodded before saying, "I guess everyone was right, we were always going to end eventually." She got up off the bed, keeping the  
>sheets around her. She leaned up and softly kissed him.<p>

"Thank you Nathan, for giving me some of the best memories of my life. I will always love you." She then turned her back and waited to hear  
>his footsteps fade. She turned once she realized he was still there.<p>

"Loving you was never the problem Haley." With that he left.

She sunk down on the bed and shook her head. She knew what he meant by how love wasn't the problem. The problem was he couldn't  
>trust her and no relationship could ever be built without trust. Her head kept repeating the words, they were over.<p>

**Sorry again for the long wait for this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry everyone! This is not a new chapter. I need your help to pick between 2 songs for the next chapter. It's either going to be I will always love you by Whitney Houston or Already gone by Kelly Clarkson. PM me or review and let me know which one you would prefer! Thanx!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

Brooke snuck into the house around midnight. She tip toed in hoping she wouldn't wake Haley up. To her surprise she heard quiet sobbing.

"Tutor girl? Are you okay?" Brooke asked as she moved Haley over so they could share the bed.

"It's over Brooke. I mean, I guess I should have expected it but it just hurts so badly." Haley said as she wiped the tears off her face.

"Wait, what do you mean it's over? Nathan actually came over and said that?"

"Long story short, we slept together, he regretted it and doesn't trust me. We both know that a relationship can't be built without trust, no matter how much love there is."

Brooke thought for a second before hesitantly asking, "Are you sure you want to give up Haley? I mean, even if you want to get over Nathan, you could do it here. I love having you around and you and Lucas are besties again. Plus, it's been great living with you! It's like having a sister….a family that cares."

Haley smiled softly at Brooke and pulled her into a hug. "Brooke Davis, I love you and I don't know what I'm going to do without you. You are my family in every way it counts. You're the only person who has been there for me unconditionally. But I need to go. I will never get over Nathan if I keep seeing him everywhere I go. I just need to get him out of my mind. It's going to be different this time, Brooke. I'm going to stay in contact with you and Lucas this time. I promise."

"So, when am I losing you?" Brooke asked sadly.

"Right after my song at Tric." Haley said looking down. "Promise me you'll be backstage with me tomorrow? I want to make sure I get to say bye to you."

"Of course Tutor girl, you didn't even need to ask."

* * *

><p>The next morning, both girls were in a somber mood. Brooke helped Haley pack all her belongings silently. The sound of the doorbell interrupted the silence. Haley and Brooke both looked at each other before Haley went to open the door. She opened the door to see one of her favorite men in the world. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one she was hoping to see.<p>

"Hey Luke!" Haley tried to say excitedly while giving him a hug.

Lucas gave her a knowing look before hugging her back.

"So today's the day huh?" Haley nodded. "I feel like you just came back to me and already you're leaving."

"I'm so sorry Luke. I wish I didn't have to leave but I have to for my sake and Nathan's. He's going to always feel a little guilty moving on if I'm in his face every day and the same goes for me. I just need to accept we're over." She said strongly.

"If you think this is what's best, then I support you 100% Hales."

She smiled warmly at him and said "thanks Luke."

"So tutor girl, I found the perfect outfit for your performance tonight. Come try it on!"

* * *

><p>When Brooke and Haley entered Tric, all eyes were on them.<p>

"Brooke, everyone's staring…" Haley said self consciously.

"Because we totally look hot!" Brooke said happily. She loved being the center of attention. Although, she had to admit, it was probably Haley getting most of the glances. People were anticipating her performance, not to mention she looked amazing. She wore skinny jeans, black opened toe pumps and a red halter top. Haley seemed to be in her own world and didn't notice Nathan staring at her from the bar, but Brooke definitely did.

"Why don't you go backstage and make sure everything is going okay Haley."

"Um, alright. You'll come see me before I perform right?"

After reassuring her, Brooke strutted towards Nathan.

"Hey Nate!" Brooke said as she sat on the seat next to him. She sent him a dimpled smile that she could tell was pissing him off.

"Are you mad that Haley's getting all this attention from all these guys? I mean, she is hot, so it's not like you can blame them." Nathan scowled at her causing Brooke's smile to widen before her face went serious. "You screwed up Nate, I hope you know that. You're gonna lose her and in 5, 10, 15 years, when your cold and bitter and will try and fill that emptiness in your life with random hook ups with girls like Rachel, you'll realize what you lost. You'll always regret letting the love of your life go, I hope you realize that." She got up to leave and went to find Haley and Lucas.

Nathan thought about Brooke's words and decided he would try and really talk things out with Haley after her performance.

**So, nothing too exciting in this chapter. Next chapter will be the one where you find out if Haley leaves or not. Also, a huge thank you to everyone who helped me choose the song that will be in the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their story alerts. It means a lot!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

**To get you in the mood, you could listen to Already gone by Kelly Clarkson and Life without you by stanfour.**

Lucas and Brooke's eyes followed Haley as she paced backstage. They could hear her faintly mumbling something. They both looked at each other, not knowing whether or not to stop her. Lucas decided to brave it out and hesitantly said, "Uh…Hales? You okay?"

Haley continued to pace, still murmuring to herself. Lucas looked at Brooke and shrugged. Brooke rolled her eyes at Lucas' pathetic attempt and got up and stood Haley's way so that she would have to stop. Haley almost walked straight into her and looked confused. She had forgotten Brooke and Lucas were with her.

"You okay tutorgirl? You seem really out of it." Brooke said looking concerned.

"Oh I'm fine, you know, just really nervous cause I have to sing to my husband, or should I say soon to be ex, about how I'm finally walking away from our marriage," Haley rambled.

"Look Haley, I need you to understand that we support you 100%. You deserve happiness and if singing this song gives you some sort of closure, then so be it. Sing your heart out and don't worry."

Haley nodded while biting her lip. Brooke turned to face Lucas and gave him a 'do something' look. Lucas immediately obliged.

"Hales, come here." He said, opening his arms. She immediately found comfort in him. Their friendship had always been like that; a hug from Lucas could make everything slightly better. "Everything is gonna be okay. You fought and tried to get him back. You put a hell of a lot more effort into it then he did. So he's just going to have to accept it. He may be my brother but you've been by my side through everything and I'll always have your back."

Haley felt her heart warm at Lucas' words. "I love you Luke," was all she had to say.

They heard Peyton get up on stage.

"How's everyone doing tonight? We have a special guest tonight! But first, Tree Hill's own Haley James-Scott will be performing! Give it up for her!"

"Figures she would add Scott to the end of my name when my relationship is ending," Haley muttered.

She gave both her friends a huge hug. She whispered something into Lucas's ear as she hugged him and passed him an envelope before walking on stage.

* * *

><p>"Hey, everyone! I hope you're all having a great night!" She smiled softly when she heard all the cheers. It looked like her last song had gotten everyone to stop hating her. Or almost everyone, she thought as her eyes met with Nathans. She quickly looked away from him.<p>

"So, this is a song I wrote and I hope you enjoy it."

She closed her eyes and let the words flow from her mouth.

_Remember all the things we wanted_

_Now all our memories they're haunted_

_We were always meant to say goodbye. _

She thought about how they got together. It was all because Nathan wanted to hurt Lucas. She had been part of a plan. Yes, she believed he loved her, but their relationship started on lies. Lies from him and later on from her.

_Even with our fists held high_

_It never would've worked out right_

_We were never meant for do or die. _

Hadn't everyone been against their marriage from the beginning? They all told her it would never last.

_I didn't want us to burn out_

_I didn't come here to hold you, now I can't stop._

Of course she never wanted them to end. She was always a believer in true love. But there was no point in trying anymore.

_I want you to know, that it doesn't matter_

_Where we take this road, someone's gotta go_

_And I want you to know, you couldn't have loved me better_

_But I want you to move on_

_So I'm already gone_

She finally met Nathan's eyes and sang straight into his soul.

_Looking at you makes it harder_

_But I know that you'll find another_

_That doesn't always make you want to cry_

Her eyes glanced at Rachel before meeting his again. She wanted him to know it was okay for him to go after her now. She would step aside.

_Started with a perfect kiss then,_

Her fingers automatically floated to her lips

_we could feel the poison set in,_

before falling over her heart in a fist.

_Perfect couldn't keep this love alive_.

She flashbacked to their first kiss. How he had hesitantly kissed her before she pounced on him.

_You know that I love you so, I, Love you enough to let you go._

She held out her and closed fist and opened it. She was letting him move on from her.

_I want you to know, that it doesn't matter_

_Where we take this road, someone's gotta go_

_And I want you to know, you couldn't have loved me better_

_But I want you to move on, So I'm already gone_

_I'm already gone, already gone_

_You can't make it feel right, when you know that it's wrong_

_I'm already gone, already gone_

_There's no moving on, so I'm already gone_

She closed her eyes and sang with all her soul

_Already gone, already gone, already gone_

_Already gone, already gone, already gone, yeah_

_Remember all the things we wanted _

_Now all our memories they're haunted_

_We were always meant to say goodbye_

She smiled softly at him. There was a beat of silence at which she mouthed I will always love you at Nathan.

_I want you to know, that it doesn't matter_

_Where we take this road, someone's gotta go_

_And I want you to know, you couldn't have loved me better _

_But I want you to move on, so I'm already gone_

_I'm already gone, already gone_

_You can't make it feel right, when you know that it's wrong_

_I'm already gone, already gone_

_There's no moving on, so I'm already gone._

She gave him a slight nod as if saying goodbye. She then thanked the audience as they cheered and walked off stage.

* * *

><p>Peyton got on stage and said, "Give it up again for Haley James-Scott! Our special guest tonight is Stanfour. Let's hear it for them!<p>

_Didn't want to say goodbye  
>Didn't want to see you cry<br>And look what i've done_

_Didn't want to make a mess  
>Broke your heart and i confess:<br>I'm the guilty one._

Nathan raced backstage. How could she think he wanted Rachel over her? The girl just leeched onto him and he probably should have told her to go away but he wanted to try and hurt Haley the same way she hurt him. In hindsight, it was a horrible idea. He didn't want to move on from their relationship and he didn't want her to either. He quickly opened the door to find a teary eyed Brooke hugging Lucas. He felt his heart drop.

"Where is she?" He asked. When either of them answered he yelled again, "WHERE IS SHE?"

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "Didn't you listen to the song Nathan? She's already gone."

In the background he could hear Stanfour singing…

_Oh this is life without you  
>I'm learning how to miss you<br>I guess I need to know, how it feels like  
>This is life without you<br>I don't know who to turn to  
>And everything I know, to say this goodbye<br>so goodbye  
>This is life without you<br>This is life without you_

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I didn't have as much time as I wanted to work on it because of exams. And I'm going to out of town for the next 5 days so I wanted to post a chapter as fast as I could.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

Nathan paced around his room before sinking into the bed and placing his head in his hands. The last 24 hours had gone by so fast. He thought about what Lucas had told him.

_Flashback_

"What do you mean she's already gone?" Nathan shouted. "She was here less than a minute ago!"

Lucas felt more pity for him than Brooke, so he approached Nathan and handed him the envelope Haley had given him before. He remembered how Haley whispered in his ear to look after his little brother.

When Nathan opened the envelope, his face fell. In his hands were the same divorce papers he had signed before except she had crossed out where she had written 'I love you' before and signed her name. He couldn't believe he had pushed her so far. He sunk to the floor still staring at her signature. He vaguely noticed Lucas saying something to Brooke, and her footsteps fading out the door.

Lucas took a seat next to him and said softly, "She said she couldn't handle it anymore. That not having you but seeing you with Rachel and having the whole school hate her was physically hurting her. She needed an out so she took it. This week was her last chance to try and win you back and I guess in her mind she failed."

"I didn't mean to push her so far," Nathan said dejectedly. "Did she tell you we slept together?"

"What?" Lucas yelled.

"Yeah, we slept together and I told her I loved her but I couldn't trust her," Nathan continued speaking, not noticing the pissed off expression on Lucas' face, which is why he was totally taken back when Lucas' fist hit his face.

"What the hell was that for?" Nathan asked, still in shock.

"Don't you see what you did? You used her for sex and then just threw her away like garbage. You were acting like the old you. Like how your relationship with Peyton used to be about just sex and no feelings involved. That's probably how Haley took it. Do you blame her for leaving?"

"It wasn't like that!" Nathan replied angrily. "I do love her, of course I do. I just couldn't put myself out there again okay? I was too scared and now she's gone."

Lucas sighed, "Look, she told me to watch over you and I will, but you have to understand that I won't let your relationship with her put a dent in my friendship with her again."

Nathan just nodded. It was such a typical Haley thing to do. To make sure he had someone even when he had hurt her. He never did that for her. He was so thankful that she had found friendship in Brooke.

When Lucas noticed Nathan lost in thought, he handed him another envelope. This one was smaller. "Haley left you a note. I think it's better if you read it at home. Do you need a ride?"

Nathan absentmindedly nodded his head. He knew he was in no condition to drive himself. He held the envelope tightly in his hands. He was almost afraid to see what she had written to him.

As they approached Nathan's house, Lucas asked him if he needed some company to deal with everything but Nathan immediately declined. He didn't want to talk about what happened and his feelings and he knew Lucas would try and make him.

Nathan slowly trekked to his room, tossed the divorce papers on his bedside table and lay down on the bed before placing the note against his chest. He took a few deep breaths and debated on whether or not he should open it. He finally decided that he would open it in the morning and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to claim him.

* * *

><p>He could feel the sun against his face, causing him to wake up. He groaned and stretched as he slowly sat up. He noticed an envelope fall into his lap and the full force of what happened yesterday, hit him. He placed the envelope on his bed and got up and started to pace. What would the note say? Would he be able to handle it? These questions plagued his mind as he continued to pace. After about 15 minutes of pacing, he finally sunk to his bed and let his head fall into his hands. He took a deep breath before preparing himself for her letter.<p>

The first thing he noticed about the letter was her beautiful writing. He was always intrigued about how elegant her handwriting was. He could smell the faint sent of her perfume on the letter which made him smile. He used to tease her because she sprayed perfume on her wrist and made everything she touched or wrote smell like her. His eyes finally focused on the words.

_Dear Nathan,_

_I need you to know that I will always love you. You are the love of my life and marrying you will never be regret. However, you were right. Love won't be enough to hold us together. Trust is a huge part of a marriage and we lacked it. It was partly my fault for going on tour and letting Chris kiss me and partly your fault for being jealous and I have to say, a little possessive. I just wanted my dream Nathan. That's it. You were already a huge part of that dream but I wanted to make you proud of me just like the way you make me proud of you. But there's no point in discussing this anymore anyway because we're over._

_I know you don't need my blessing or anything but if Rachel or any other girl makes you happy, go after her. You deserve to be happy Nathan. I know divorces take a while to process through but I don't mind if you date now itself. I'm setting you free. I hope the rest of your life is great. Don't push Lucas away, I know you did when I left the first time, but he's your brother and maybe the best family you have. I wish you all the happiness in the world._

_Love, Haley James_

The words 'we're over' and 'I'm setting you free' echoed through him. He immediately noticed that there was no Scott after her name. It was over…unless he did something about it. Maybe it was his turn to fight for her.

**So, a huge apology for taking so long to write this chapter and not even making it that long. I've been doing summer courses and I just don't feel as inspired anymore, but I'll try and get out as much as I can. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Reviews and comments would be much appreciated!**


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